Just as no two military missions are identical, no two defense communications networks are exactly alike. Flexible, modular networking solutions are needed
to address the unique communications challenges faced by the military today.
Defense Communications Challenges and Network Imperatives
Effective defense communications networks are being tasked to support a growing array of video surveillance, voice and bandwidth-intensive data
applications in both temporary and permanent installations. These applications dictate the need for a highly scalable and flexible network architecture that
can adapt real-time to increased user, application, and bandwidth requirements.
When the end goal is to empower personnel in the field, the objective becomes one of delivering the performance equivalent of a wired network in a mobile
wireless environment. Defense communications may be further complicated by the need to facilitate multi-agency communications among military, civilian
and coalition teams. Often in emergency or disaster situations, we witness the deployment of fundamentally incompatible technologies. IP-based wireless
technology can bridge this gap to create flexible, scalable networks that enable communication between different types of technologies. Another challenge
facing defense communications is the harsh environment in which these networks must be deployed and maintained. Whether used in permanent or ad-
hoc deployments, networks must not only be reliable, the networking gear must be environmentally hardened to perform consistently and reliably in the
most extreme temperatures from the cold of Siachen Glacier, to the arid heat of the dessert of Tharparkar and in the salty dampness of the maritime
environment.
The latest high-performance broadband wireless products leverage the 4.4 GHz band designated for military use, as well as a variety of licensed and
license-free broadband spectrum (including Wi-Fi, WiMax and 4.9 GHz Public Safety) to provide field-proven, reliable, scalable and high performance
networking for Video, Voice, Data and multimedia communications that support a broad range of Armed Forces applications. When you consider the key
role that military and defense-driven initiatives have played in the development of both Internet Protocol (IP) and early generations of wireless mesh
technology, it’s good to see that the newest generation of IP-based broadband wireless networking patented high-performance switched mesh technology
can support so many Armed Forces applications.
Military Housing Morale, Welfare and Recreation
On military bases at home and overseas, staying connected to friends and family is one of the most important aspects of maintaining high level of morale.
Military housing provides the ideal setting for deploying scalable, flexible broadband wireless networks. Nodes can be installed easily and quickly on
buildings, light poles and other fixed assets – without the cost and time spent trenching roads and pulling fiber – to provide high speed Internet access for
homes, schools, and office buildings both on and off base, for example, broadband coverage for military families in cantonment and Training Centers. In
fact, the deployment won the awards in developed countries for the most cutting-edge technologies. As shown in figure 1, video surveillance cameras can
also be co-located with the wireless mesh nodes to provide video security for homes and the base perimeter. High-quality real-time video can be
transmitted over separate and secure wireless links and centrally or remotely monitored.
Ship to Shore Communications
Enabling communications with ships coming into port has traditionally been addressed by pier side cable connections. These wired solutions, however,
incurred high cost and recurring maintenance while posing logistic challenges and interrupting communications at potentially critical times. High-
performance broadband wireless technology can provide a cost-effective, high bandwidth, and seamless alternative to traditional pier side cabling. The
high-performance broadband wireless products are being integrated into the naval underway communications and pier side connectivity applications known
as Wireless Pier-side Connection System (WPCS). The high-performance broadband wireless technology gear addresses the need for increased
bandwidth, seamless transition from underway to pier side communications, integration of IP technology (such as Voice over IP) and enables the
communications transition to be initiated while ships are entering the harbor. As shown in figure 2, video surveillance cameras can also be co-located with
the wireless mesh nodes to provide video security for port facilities and perimeter. Again, in this scenario, the high-quality real-time video can be
transmitted over separate and secure wireless links (on the same network as the ship to shore applications) and centrally or remotely monitored.
Special Events
Whether staging an event to entertain the troops or hosting a visiting VIP, special events require portable broadband networking gear that can be rapidly
and easily deployed to support high quality video and VoIP and high-speed data communications on a secure network infrastructure, as depicted in figure
3. For example on 6th September Defense day, where a popular festival drives the local population from under 10 to over 100 kilometers, the high-
performance broadband wireless technologies can be use to support interoperable voice communications between multiple public safety agencies, deliver
video surveillance of festival sites and can provide secure Internet access.
Disaster Recovery and Rapid Deployment Systems
As shown in figure 4, natural and man-made disasters drive many of the same networking requirements as special events. High performance and reliable
emergency networks for disaster recovery require quickly and easily deployed broadband networking gear to reliably and securely support high quality
video, interoperable VoIP and high-speed data communication such as Geographical Information System (GIS) map-based displays used to track unit
status, operational plans and logistic activities. For example, after the bridge disaster, the high-performance broadband wireless technology can deliver
real-time video surveillance of the bridge site to ensure effective personnel and resource planning. It also enables sharing and transfer of huge GIS
mapping files among multi-agency military and civilian personnel at the site and provides communication backup to disrupted cellular services. In another
disaster scenario, emergency teams fighting the wildfire can use high-performance broadband wireless technology because it can be deployed immediately
in any kind of outdoor environment and can withstand the elements while delivering rock solid performance. The teams use the network to transfer critical
files used to manage the firefighting operation, as well as to communicate with each other and their families. Crew chiefs can use the same network to
maintain administrative functions including payroll.
Video Surveillance for Perimeter Security and Base Level Public Safety
Video surveillance applications are increasingly being used by the Armed Forces to patrol national borders, measure the flow of refugees in troubled
areas, monitor peace treaties, protect strategic assets such as ports, airfields, and pipelines and provide secure perimeters around military bases and
embassies. Video surveillance cameras and Chemical Detection Sensors (CDS) networked over high-performance broadband wireless nodes as seen in
figure 5 protect ports and bases and enable secure centralized or remote monitoring. But real-time video places huge demands on a wireless network,
necessitating a solution that delivers both extremely high capacity (to address the quantity of bandwidth that video requires) and very low latency (to
ensure the quality of the transmission). The new switched mesh architecture is unique in its ability to support real-time video in large scale deployments.
Market Leading Solutions with the Industry’s Highest Performance
In hundreds of military and civilian deployments around the world, developers are delivering the proven, industry-leading performance that has made them
the market leaders and the trusted brands of the most demanding customers. The flexible, scalable, high-performance and highly reliable solutions go well
beyond the capabilities of “one-size-fits-all” products to address the unique, mission-critical challenges of communications amongst Armed Forces.
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| Cover Story (Nov 2009) |
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